Eastertide

April 23, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 John 3:16-24
We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Christ’s commandment is to love one another. We demonstrate our love for Christ by the way we love and care for others. While we may say we love others, do our lives and our actions support our words? I am deeply concerned about the amount of negative energy being cast about in our world regarding people we may not understand and who have little or no impact on our lives. Why do we feel the need to make them outcasts? Jesus would be sharing a meal with them, getting to know them, loving them. Why do we suspend a boy from school for wearing a pigtail or cut a girl’s hair for wearing it in its natural fullness? Why do we think we have the right to require anyone to conform to our expectations of their gender identity?

I will never forget when I got off the plane in Sweden with my choir, and we all headed to the restrooms. To my surprise, there was only one restroom, no designation of women and men. We all stood in one long line, which moved amazingly fast compared to what we females were accustomed to. Each stall was fully enclosed and contained a stool and a urinal on the wall. We did share sinks for washing our hands and mirrors for checking our hair and makeup or shaving. I was sold and wished all facilities were like that.

Negative reaction to others makes me concerned about whether those with the negative reaction have not experienced the amazing and full love of God as they search for their worth by denigrating others. If that is the case, we, as the Body of Christ, need to examine and upgrade the work we do to share the love of God throughout the earth.

Prayer: Lord, abide with us and help us abide in you so that the love we share for others reflects the purity of your love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.